This story is courtesy of the Arnold Sentinel. It first appeared in their November 27 issue
It was an evening of fellowship, fun, and celebrating the great things happening in our community during the 2024 Arnold Community Foundation Fund (ACFF) fundraiser and auction on Saturday. This annual event held at the Arnold Community Center raises funds for projects supported by the ACFF and honors the work done by individuals and groups in the community.
This year was a banner year, raising more than $77,000 for projects that positively impact the community and its residents. Recent projects include support for the Arnold Historical Museum project; painting light poles along Highway 92 in Arnold; providing – administrative support to the Custer County chapter of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library; postage to mail the annual alumni letter; a new drinking fountain at the swimming pool; gun club facility upgrades; and much more.
Each year the ACFF also honors individuals and groups that demonstrate a philanthropic spirit and work to make Arnold a great place to live, work, and play. These individuals and groups are volunteers within the community that have contributed significant time, talents, and resources to the improvement, promotion, and health of the community.
The Arnold Chamber of Commerce was named the 2024 Philanthropic Group of the Year. ACFF board member Renee Bubak led the attendees in an interactive history of the Arnold Chamber, asking those who had participated in Chamber-sponsored events to stand. These events ranged from the demolition derby of the 1980s to the street carnivals and parades of the 1990s and to more current events including the housing tours of the 2000s and the crowd favorite chili cookoff and the revamped fall festival.
Currently the Arnold Chamber boasts membership of more than 50 individuals and members and sponsor some of the most popular events in Arnold each year – Chili Cook Off, Christmas Around Town, Halloween Trunk or Treat, Easter Egg Hunt, SORC barbeque, Fourth of July fireworks, Chamber Bucks giveaway, and community-wide garage sales.
Membership in the Chamber is open to any business or individual who wishes to join. Meetings are held the fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m.
Andrew and April Tickle were named the Philanthropists of the Year for 2024 by the ACFF. The Tickles have spent a good portion of their adult lives serving the community of Arnold through multiple agencies. Combined they have nearly 30 years of service in the Arnold Volunteer Fire Department, both as firefighters.
Andrew is also an EMT and most recently Fire Chief. He works with other area fire departments and Custer County Emergency Management to foster inter-agency relationships and safety for all departments. He is on the Custer County Foundation board, the Arnold Economic Development board, and the United Hardware/Do It Best advisory council.
April is active in not only the Arnold Chamber, serving on the executive board and spearheading many projects, but also the Arnold Alumni Association helping to organize the annual alumni weekend and banquet in May.
He is the manager at Mills Hardware and she is the owner of Touch of Grace Massage Therapy and Spa in downtown Arnold. They both are active members of the Arnold Baptist Church and spend lots of time chasing around their four children – Zeva, Zoelle, Zicah, and Zoyer.
The ACFF also presented the American Legion Post 130 a check for $10,000 for the construction of the new Veterans Memorial at the intersection of Highways 92 and 40 in Arnold. Mike Harvey from the American Legion accepted the check from the ACFF board.
Editor’s Note – the check at the event had the incorrect amount for the Veterans Memorial donation. The correct amount should be $10,000.
